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First POST: Rules of Twitter

Wednesday, February 27 2013

Exclusively for Personal Democracy Plus subscribers: What Gavin Newsom has to say about his new book; the fate of @BarackObama; and what Instagrams from North Korea look like, all in today's round-up of news about technology in politics from around the web.

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Sarah Lai Stirland interviewed Gavin Newsom about his new book, "Citizenville." In it, California's lieutenant governor embraces concepts of open government and technology for civic engagement — but does he practice what he preach? And, since he freely admits that he is passing along ideas he has collected from others, does he understand the concepts he appears to be using as the foundation for some later run for elected office?

The cost of "free Internet"

Peter Osnos observes that "Internet freedom" is free as in speech, not as in beer — and Americans would be better served if Internet access were cheaper:

Yes, it is certainly the case that the devices that connect us to search engines, countless websites, social media, and e-mail bring us vast amounts of content for which we do not pay separately. But access to this "free" information on the Internet, as everyone acknowledges as soon as it is pointed out, is not gratis. Monthly charges for broadband Internet service, plus cable television fees and smartphone bills that together comprise the range of household pleasures and obligations as well as work-related communication that are so embedded in our lives amount to hefty sums.

Chew on this: The USDA is using Pinterest to publish photos of meals that fit with their guidelines for healthier eating.

Asia One reports: "The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published a report on China's rule of law on Monday, which stated that the country's disciplinary authorities at every level have developed and applied technology to their anti-corruption work, such as online approval platforms and bribery record systems."

When DKNY approached Brandon Stanton, who runs the popular photo blog and Facebook page Humans of New York, to license some of his photography, he said no. In a Facebook post, he explained a friend told him DKNY was probably lowballing him. So when he found out DKNY used his photos anyway, he was pretty upset — so much so that he urged his online viewers to lobby DKNY to donate $100,000 towards sending city kids to summer camp rather than pay the $15,000 they had offered him. BBC News have flipped the switch on the U.S.'s "six strikes" program.

News Briefs

Hillary Clinton's deleted emails might not be as gone as she thinks; people making decisions about encryption know nothing about encryption; Meerkat is dead (already); finding out that Facebook filters the newsfeed is, to some like waking up in the Matrix; and much, much more. GO

Get to know Clinton's digital team even better; Ted Cruz election announcement-related fundraising offers peak into the coming data-driven campaign arms race; New York City launches online community engagement pilot program called IdeaScale; and much, much more. GO